Discoveries
by i heart tamora pierce
Summary: My version of how Daine and Numair get together.


A/N: This is a standalone with my own version of how Numair tells Daine about his feelings. I know she didn't really realize that she liked Numair until RoTG, but I like to think she loved him too . Reviews are nice, but no flames please this is my first fanfic.

Disclaimer: the characters and locations belong to Tamora Pierce, etc.

Numair watched his student and friend, Daine Sarrasri as she talked to Cloud, her pony. _She's beautiful,_ Numair thought sadly. He knew he could never tell her his true feelings, that he loved her more than he had ever thought possible. That would trap her, and she was too young to have to make that choice.

_The storkman is sighing over you again,_ Cloud remarked to Daine, who was grooming her.

_Nonsense,_ Daine replied with her mind, not wanting Numair to hear. She knew Numair would never look at her that way, not with all those court ladies that caught his interest. _We're just friends. _

_Then why is he staring at you like that? _Cloud responded impatiently. Daine glanced over her shoulder, surprised. Numair was leaning against the wall of the stable, well out of reach of Cloud's teeth. He had an odd look on his face.

"Numair?" Daine asked softly, wanting to prove Cloud wrong, yet wanting desperately for her to be right.

Numair snapped out of his reverie at the sound of her voice. "Yes?"

"Is something wrong?" Daine asked hesitantly. "Cloud said you looked troubled."

_I did not. Tell him I said no such thing._ Cloud snapped, stamping her hoof.

"No," Numair replied, unaware of Cloud's interruption. "I was simply… thinking." It wasn't a lie. He had been thinking—about a certain girl of seventeen. Seeming to realize who he was talking to, he straightened. "If you're done here, we can get back to the palace in time for supper."

"Right. Of course." Daine gave Cloud a last pat before closing the stall door and falling into step beside Numair.

They walked toward the mess hall for the Riders in tense, awkward silence. Daine reached out, brushing his arm with her fingertips before jerking back. She blushed deeply, hoping he hadn't noticed.

Numair was contemplating simply grabbing Daine and professing his love for her when he felt something touch his arm. Startled, he looked over at Daine, who was blushing crimson. He frowned thoughtfully.

Daine mentally kicked herself. _How could I do that? _ She wailed internally. _Now he won't want to be around me, for fear of hurting my feelings!_

They didn't say anything as they walked into the mess hall and got trays from the servants. As they sat at Daine's usual table in the back, Daine resolved herself to starting a conversation, no matter how embarrassed she was. She was saved from her effort, however, when Onua walked over, carrying her tray, a look of relief on her face.

"Daine, there you are," she called as she approached. "I wanted to talk to you about the new trainee's ponies…" She nodded to Numair before leading Daine away, much to Numair's disappointment.

Later that night, Numair sat reading in his rooms. He couldn't sleep. Daine was always the focus of his mind lately, not seeing her after supper had dampened his spirits. He sighed, turning back to his book.

Daine wandered the palace, unable to rest. She couldn't stop thinking about Numair. The tall, lanky mage had filled her waking thoughts and was starting to infiltrate her dreams.

She blinked, realizing that her restless feet had taken her to Numair's chambers. She stared at the door for several long moments, debating whether to knock or run away as fast as she could. Her embarrassment from earlier hadn't faded. She raised her hand to knock, not even thinking about what she was doing. At the last second, she lowered her hand, stepping away from the door before dashing down the hall, back towards the Rider's barracks and her home.

The next morning found Numair awake before dawn, far earlier than he usual. Knowing he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, he decided to ride into the Great Forest in search of spirits, much like the undine he and Daine had seen once, during one of her lessons.

He walked down to the stables, resisting the urge to go see Daine. She wouldn't be awake this early. He saddled Spots before mounting clumsily and setting Spots along the same trail that he and Daine had taken when they'd seen the undine.

The long, quiet trail was peaceful, if uncomfortable. He wasn't a good rider, and knew he would never have the natural grace and beauty that Daine possessed when riding.

Daine.

His thoughts returned to her, where they'd been for countless weeks. He wished desperately that she loved him too, though he knew she never would. She was too young, and she deserved to have someone young and handsome, like Perin the clerk. He knew the way that the lad looked at Daine. It was much the same as the way Numair looked at her, though Numair knew that Perin would probably have more opportunities to show his love than Numair would.

_Feeling sorry for myself like this does no good,_ Numair thought despairingly. _Besides, Perin doesn't love Daine. He only lusts after her._ This thought didn't make him feel any better, and he sank back into his sulking.

Numair rode for nearly a half hour before realizing that he must have gone the long way. He was about to turn Spots around and head back to the palace before he was missed when Spots reared. Numair would have seen the snake if he hadn't been so distracted. He fell hard, and everything went black.

Daine woke up with a start. She had had a dream where Spots, Numair's faithful horse, was racing back to the stables as the nearby People told her that Numair was lying on the forest floor, having fallen from Spots' back when the horse had spooked at a snake.

Daine carefully dislodged herself from the many animals that came to her during the night. She dressed quickly, hurrying to the stables.

Rounding the corner, Daine hurried down the aisle, reassuring the horses she passed that everything was fine, though she wasn't sure it was.

When she reached Spots' stall, she wasn't surprised to find it empty, though it filled her with terror. Desperately praying that Numair was okay, she strode toward the forest, calling out to the People to help her find Numair.

Following their direction, Daine walked down a trail that looked similar to the one that she and Numair had walked for one of her first lessons. She shook her head to clear it of thoughts that would distract her, such as thoughts about that magical night with Numair, before her emotions got all mixed up.

What Daine saw when she followed the path around a large tree made her blood run cold. There was Numair, lying in a on his back in on the trail.

_At least he didn't wander away from the path,_ Daine thought wryly as she rushed to his side. She cradled his head in her lap as she summoned a sparrow, telling it to find Alanna. She was usually more polite, but this was an emergency. She stroked Numair's hair away from his face before impulsively pressing her lips to his.

Alanna arrived nearly ten minutes later, swatting at the sparrow that was pecking her frantically.

"Next time you send one of your friends to fetch me, send one that isn't so… Sharp," Alanna said crossly. Her eyes moved from Daine's despairing face to Numair's white one. "What happened?"

"He must have fallen—I had a dream that he was riding Spots in the forest when there was a snake and Spots spooked and dumped Numair…" She babbled, wanting Alanna to understand so she could help.

Alanna reached toward Numair, taking one of his hands. She probed with her Gift, healing as she went. When she was done and had reported that he could safely be moved, Numair had regained some of his color and was looking less dead and more asleep. Daine sighed with relief.

They slung Numair between them, Daine riding Spots-who she had found near where Numair had fallen, grazing—and Alanna riding one of the palace horses. They walked back to the palace slowly, careful not to jostle Numair too much.

When they got back to the stable, Daine dismounted quickly. She helped Alanna lower Numair to the ground before sending the horses back to the stable, telling them to summon Stefan to unsaddle them.

What happened after that was a blur to Daine. She remembered Numair being taken to the Rider's infirmary, and a healer telling her that he would be fine, that he just needed to rest so that his body could heal.

Daine was jolted back to reality some time later, after the torches had been lit. Vaguely she knew that it was night, and that she was in the infirmary with Numair. Concerned, she glanced over to where he lay. He still looked as though he slept, though he seemed to be stirring.

"Numair?" Daine asked, barely remembering to keep her voice down.

"Daine?" Numair replied blearily.

Daine leapt from her chair, rushing to his side as she squealed in delight. She flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck as she buried her face in his shoulder. Pulling back so that she could look at his face, she cried, "You're awake! I was so worried… When I found you, you looked like you were dead!" Regaining control, she added darkly, "Don't you ever do that to me again, Numair Salmalin." She sat next to him on his bed, glaring at him playfully.

Numair chuckled, staring into her gorgeous blue-gray eyes. Suddenly she leaned forward, kissing him softly. Numair was afraid to move, knowing he couldn't do this and wanting to so badly.

Daine moved away too soon. Her cheeks flared crimson as she looked down at her lap. Numair realized with horror that she was afraid of rejection. He reached over, taking her hand in his. She looked up at him, a question in her eyes. In answer Numair drew her back to him, kissing her carefully, showing her what he had been thinking of for months.

Daine sighed happily when they broke apart. "I love you, Numair."

Numair laughed against her lips before replying, "I love you too."

A/N: Hope you liked it… Review! This is my first fanfic so constructive criticism would be helpful but no flames please!


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